JUSTICE

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 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8

Temporal justice can be messy to obtain. I am currently hearing from many beloved sisters and brothers from the tiny southern African kingdom of Eswatini, where the king still has absolute authority, and the people are demanding democracy. It all sounds very noble, but what this means in real, day-to-day terms is that shops and crops are being looted and burned; roads, the airport, and borders get closed; the army is allegedly shooting dissenters, access to the Internet keeps getting shut down; and the entire country seems to be on fire. This also means that I am hearing from dear sisters in Christ who say, “I am scared. I do not know where to turn or how to feed my children.” 

From what I understand, the road to democracy here in America hundreds of years ago was no less gruesome. More recently, the quest for social justice has had its own casualties. My weekly Bible study group was discussing several months ago what the role of Christians should be in all of this. None of us had the perfect answer. Some believe in taking action; others believe in speaking out; still others feel it is not our place to be involved in the affairs of this world. Our group continues to search the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, and I pray you do as well. 

The only thing I know for sure is that true justice was wrought with a severe cost—the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ, who paid the price for our sins. Galatians 2:16 tells us: “…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” 

As to the above-mentioned current situations, I hurt. I feel so helpless. I come to the place time and again where I realize I really have no control, which is the only truly honest place to be. And then I remember my powerful, God-given weapon. And I pray. And if you think that’s a cop-out, then you don’t know my God! 




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